Sacramento Kings: De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield is the backcourt of the future
By Marc Sherman
After a couple of seasons together, De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield are forming a backcourt that could formidable for years to come for the Sacramento Kings
There’s no doubt that the Sacramento Kings were one of the surprise teams of the league this past season. Finishing the season at 39-43, they improved their win total from 2017-18 by 12 games and hovered around playoff position for a large portion of the 2018-19 season.
Ultimately failing to reach the playoffs, this team has a bright future ahead of them and are on the right path(finally). Their success was largely based on the improvements from their backcourt in De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield.
This past season Fox and Hield had a substantial uptick in points. Buddy Hield improved from 13.5 points to 20.7, while also gathering five rebounds, shooting 46 percent from the field and 42 from 3-point range.
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De’Aaron Fox averaged 11.7 points his rookie season while dishing out 4.4 assists. In his sophomore campaign, he averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 assists, and shot an improved 37 percent from beyond the arc.
Even will all those improved upon statistics, the most important and essential one to the Kings success was the number of games that this backcourt was able to play in. Fox was featured in 81 out of the 82 games and Hield played a full season with no injury. Health is the most important factor when trying to win in a long and grueling season.
Their impact on their team’s success
It’s no secret that De’Aaron Fox is the fasted point guard in the NBA. Easily distinguished as the best young point guard in the league, his first step quickness along with his acceleration allows him to get to any spot on the floor in a single motion.
With that being said, he’s a tough cover when driving to the lane. Which makes him even more difficult to guard because of his improved shooting and decision making.
Expecting a big year three and possible All-Star selection from the third-year guard out of Kentucky.
Buddy Hield is a sniper from 3-point range. Shooting an efficient 42 percent led to Hield becoming the first-ever player to eclipse the 600-mark in 3-pointers made in their first three NBA seasons. Buddy surpassed the previous record held by Portland guard Damian Lillard of 599. He ranked fourth in 3-pointers made last season only trailing James Harden, Stephen Curry, and Paul George.
After being shipped to Sacramento in a trade where New Orleans received DeMarcus Cousins, Hield’s skillset was questionable and it was unclear if he’d live up to his draft position. His second year with the Kings should silence all that noise.
He’s become one of the best shooters in the league and a 20-point scorer. The 24-year-old possesses a very unique and desirable game in this transitioning NBA.
Buddy Hield's pull up game is poetry in motion.. Pulled up to @RicoHinesBball runs and served up buckets.. @buddyhield pic.twitter.com/FXOBC1B0WR
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 8, 2019
His jumper is pure and improved ball-handling skills have given him the ability to expand his game to the next level.
You can now see how perfectly these two fit with one another. Not only that but with their contribution, the Kings ranked No. 6 on offense, scoring 114.2 points per game and third in offensive pace. In today’s NBA pace has been a primary factor to the success of a team. Possessing a young, fast, and athletic backcourt that can stretch the floor will undoubtedly result in victories in this guard driven league.
Where do they rank amongst the other NBA backcourts?
In my opinion, there are about three backcourts that rank above the Fox and Hield tandem. Those being: Damian Lillard and C.J McCollum, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, and Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
All clearly more talented than the Kings backcourt. But for how long? The Harden/Westbrook pairing has an average age of 30, Lillard/McCollum is at 28, and Curry/Thompson are at an average of 30 as well. Leaving the backcourt of the future to be named in the Kings favor.
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The pairing of Fox and Hield have an average age of 23.5, light years ahead of their full potential with many seasons of youth ahead of the two. Already being positioned as a top-five backcourt, they have just a few more seasons before we will be declaring the pairing as the best backcourt in the NBA.
The Sacramento Kings have a ton of young talent and if they expect to make another playoff push it will, once again, heavily depend on Fox and Hield. Expect an even bigger year from the backcourt.